Variable weight end structure for sporting equipment handles

ABSTRACT

A variable weight end structure  10  that provides for variable tail-end weighting of racquets, clubs, or sporting equipment with handles. The end structure  10  comprises an interface element  17  and a weighting element  18  that allows a player to quickly and easily add and vary tail-end weights. The variable weighting end structure  10  provides a player with a more versatile racquet/club, providing increased power and control, reduced shock, while not significantly changing swing weight.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

[0001] None

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] Provisional Patent 60/395,022 Jul. 12, 2002

BACKGROUND

[0003] 1. Field of Invention

[0004] This invention relates to an improvement for tennis racquets,golf clubs, and other sporting equipment that employ a handle.Specifically, the improvement is a means to add variable weights to thetail end of a racquet or club. The tail end refers to the end of thehandle of a racquet or club.

[0005] 2. Description of Prior Art

[0006] The addition of weight to improve playability and feel is acommon way to customize racquets or clubs. In fact, many professionalplayers employ some type of custom weighting to improve their racquet orclubs performance. While weighting a racquet/club can have dramaticeffects, the placement of the weight is critical to achieve improvedperformance. For example, application of weight at the tail-end of aracquet or club increases power and control, reduces shock, andmaintains swing weight. In contrast, a weight placed at the head or sideof a racquet reduces power and control, increases shock, and increasesswing weight. Therefore, the preferred placement of a weight to achieveoptimum performance is at the tail-end of a racquet or club handle. Theamount of weight depends on the particular racquet characteristics,physical ability of a player along with his/her specific desires. Theideal weight would be different for each player. In addition, in a sportsuch as tennis, a player matches his skill against opponents whoseplaying styles and physical abilities greatly vary. A successful playeris one who will be able to adjust his game to counter that of hisopponent. Therefore, it is very desirable for a player to vary theweight placed on a racquet/club so as to ‘tune’ his game to currentconditions. To be able to vary the weighting of a racquet quickly andefficiently, even during a match, is a great asset.

[0007] Unfortunately, no methods currently exist that allow a player toeasily attach variable weight to the tail-end of a racquet or club.Current techniques promoted by the sporting industry, involvedisassembly of the racquet handle (removing grip and butt cap) andadding weight along with cotton padding inside the handle. Not only isthis method cumbersome and time consuming, the method requires aracquet/club with a hollow handle to hold the weight. If a handle issolid, the player must gouge out a cavity or not use a weight.

[0008] Another technique used and sited in U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,421,“Counter-weighting handle grip”, requires the player to wrap lead/felttape beneath a golf club handle grip. This method is cumbersome,increases grip size, and doesn't place the weight at the ideal tail-endlocation of a handle.

[0009] In U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,902 to McCutchen (1991), a static distalbutt weight for a tennis racquet handle, for the purpose, among others,of extending the center of percussion, absorbing shock, and increasingthe momentum of the racquet. This method is not a variable weightingmethod, but rather adds one fixed weight to the racquet handle

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,453 to Douglas et al. (1992) shows a tennisracquet with a solid butt weight attached to its handle end by means ofan “acorn shaped weighted extension” (4) attachable to the end of thehandle by welding or screwing it on (5:8). Once again this is not avariable method to add weight to the tail end of a racquet or club.

[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,793 to Chen (1991) teaches an elongatedrubber sheath over a conventional butt cap, the sheath extending up thehandle with numerous recesses for containing small individual optionalweights under the player's hand. This method does not provide a means toquickly and easily change weight. Additionally, the weight placement isin the handle not at the optimum location of the tail-end.

[0012] In conclusion, solutions of prior art for weighting the tail endof a racquet or club, all pertain to fixed or static weighting and donot address the fundamental difficulty of allowing a player toefficiently and easily change the weight on the fly or even during play.Insofar as we are aware, no sporting racquet/club handle mechanismformerly developed provides a means to quickly and easily vary theweight located at the tail end of a handle.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

[0013] Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the presentinvention are:

[0014] 1. to provide custom tail-end weighting;

[0015] 2. to provide variable weighting;

[0016] 3. to provide rapid user-friendly weight adjustments;

[0017] 4. to provide weighting in an economical manner.

[0018] Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from astudy of the following description and the accompanying drawings.

DRAWINGS AND FIGURES

[0019]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the variable weight end structurefor tennis racquets.

[0020]FIG. 2 is a exploded view of the variable weight end structureconstructed in accordance with the invention, showing the interfaceelement, weighting element, and securing mechanism.

[0021]FIG. 3 is a side view of the interface element.

[0022]FIG. 4 is a side view of the weighting element.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0023]10 Variable weight end structure

[0024]11 Cap

[0025]12 Cap Slot

[0026]13 Locking tab (outside cap)

[0027]14 Plug

[0028]15 Sleeve

[0029]16 Locking tab (inside cavity)

[0030]17 Interface Element

[0031]18 Weight Element

[0032]19 Cavity

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF INVENTION

[0033] A typical embodiment of the variable weight end structure 10 isillustrated in FIG. 1 (perspective view). FIG. 2 is an exploded view ofthe variable weight end structure 10 showing the interface element 17,weight element 18 and securing mechanism. In this embodiment theinterface element 17 is comprised of a sleeve 15, and cavity 19. Thesleeve 15 is tapered and notched to slide over a racquet handle or club.The sleeve 15 is secured to a handle using glue or staples. At the otherside of interface element 17 is the cavity 19 that holds the weightelement 18. The securing mechanism to hold weight element 18 insidecavity 19 is a cap 11. The cap 11 has a slot 12 that is used to rotatecap during plug 14 removal and replacement. There are locking tabs 13/16on the outside of cap 11 and inside of cavity 19 to firmly secure cap tointerface element 17 and hold weight element 18 firmly in place. Theweighting element 18 in this embodiment is a solid plug 14. A set ofplugs 14 can be made each having a different weight by using materialswith different densities (lead, brass, pewter, or plastic) or removingvarying amounts of material from the center of plug 14.

[0034] There are various embodiments with regard to the securingmechanism of weight element 17 to interface element 18. A secondembodiment uses a threaded screw and nut through the center of cap 11and plug 14 in place of locking tabs 13/16. Additionally, the weightelement 17 could consist of round or disk-shaped sub-elements attachedor stacked together.

DESCRIPTION—OPERATION

[0035] In operation a player uses the variable weight end structure 10in a manner similar to current tennis racquet butt caps. The variableweight end structure 10 replaces the standard butt cap and is attachedusing the same techniques employed for standard butt caps makinginstallation very easy. The variable weight end structure 10 maintainsthe same shape and form fit as a standard butt cap so that a playerfeels no difference in his grip.

[0036] The player, when desired, may change the performancecharacteristic of his racquet by changing the plug weight 14 at the endof the racquet. This is done by replacing the plug 14 with a second plug14 of different weight. If desired the player can choose not totail-weight by not placing a plug 14 in the sleeve 15.

[0037] When changing out a plug 14 the player uses slot 12 to rotate cap11 counterclockwise to release locking tabs 13/16. Once released, thecap 11 and plug 14 are removed from the sleeve 15. A new differentweight plug 14 or no plug may be placed in the sleeve 15. The cap 11 isplaced over the plug 14 and rotated to engage locking tabs 13/16 tosecure plug 14 and cap 11.

[0038] A player can change the plug 14 quickly and easily so that weightchanges can be performed even during play. A player therefore can makerapid adjustments to his racquet to optimize his play against opponentsor current playing conditions.

SUMMARY, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

[0039] Accordingly, the reader will see that the invention, a variableweight end structure 10, has an interface element 17 and a weightingelement 18. The variable weight end structure 10 attaches to sportingequipment handles so that a player can quickly and easily add and varytail-end weighting.

[0040] Although the description above contains many specificities, theseshould not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but asmerely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferredembodiments of this invention.

[0041] Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by theappended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examplesgiven

I claim:
 1. A variable weight end structure comprising a. an interfaceelement mountable to a sporting equipment handle, b. a weighting elementmountable to interface element, and c. a securing mechanism for holdingweighting element to interface element
 2. The weighting element of claim1 wherein said body of material is composed of any type of metal, alloy,plastic, or a composite of metal and plastic.
 3. The weighting elementof claim 1 wherein said body is solid or made of subassemblies attachedor stacked together.
 4. The interfacing element of claim 1 wherein saidbody is composed of any type of plastic.
 5. The interfacing element ofclaim 1 wherein said body has a cavity at one end and on the oppositeside a sleeve that fits over a racquet or club handle.
 6. The securingmechanism in claim 1 wherein said method is any type of threaded bolt,screw nut or screw.
 7. The securing mechanism in claim 1 wherein saidmethod uses tab(s) on the outside of said cap and angled grooves alongthe inside of cavity wall to secure weight to interface element.
 8. Thesecuring mechanism in claim 1 wherein said method uses tab(s) on theinside of cavity and angle grooves on the outside of said cap to secureweight to interface element.
 9. The securing mechanism in claim 1wherein said method uses threads on outside of cap and along the insideon cavity wall.
 10. The securing mechanism in claim 1 wherein saidmethod uses locking tabs on cap and cavity.